Chapter 21 – One God Translation

Luke

   21 Looking up, Jesus saw rich people putting their gifts into the Temple treasury collection box. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins, 3 and he said, “I am telling you the truth: this poor widow put in more than everyone else, 4 because they gave from their excess, but she gave from her poverty everything she had to live on.”
    5 Some people there were speaking about the Temple — how wonderful the stonework was, and how beautiful the donated gift offerings. Jesus said, 6 “As for these things you are looking at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on top of another; everything will be torn down.”
    7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” [464] 8 Jesus said, “Watch out that you are not deceived, because many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and ‘The time is close!’ Do not go after them. 9 When you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified, because such things have to come first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
    10 He continued, “Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be massive earthquakes, famines and epidemics in various places, terrifying things happening and great signs in the sky.
    12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare in advance to defend yourselves, 15 because I will give you words to speak and wisdom which none of your enemies will be able to oppose or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will kill some of you. [465] 17 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. 18 Yet not a single hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.
    20 “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that her desolation is near. [466] 21 Then those in Judea should flee[467] to the mountains, and those in the city should leave, and those in the country should not go into the city, 22 because these are days of punishment, so that everything written will be fulfilled. 23 Alas for those who are pregnant or nursing babies at that time, because there will be great distress[468] in the land and anger against this people. 24 They will be cut down by the sword and taken away as prisoners into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles[469] until the appointed times of the Gentiles[470] have been fulfilled.
    25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and on the earth the nations will be in turmoil, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and its waves. 26 People will be fainting because of fear, terrified about what is coming upon the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and brilliant glory. 28 When these things start to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is about to come.” [471]
    29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When you see them growing new leaves, you know that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. [472] 32 I am telling you the truth: this evil society[473] will not pass away until all these things happen. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
    34 “Watch out! Make sure you do not get preoccupied with partying or drinking or the worries of life, or that day will catch you suddenly like a trap. 35 For that day will come on everyone who lives on the face of the whole earth. 36 But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
    37 During the day Jesus was teaching in the Temple, and every evening he would go out and spend the night on the hill known as the Mount of Olives. 38 All the people would get up early to come and listen to him in the Temple.

Luke

[464]

The common assumption of Jesus and the disciples, based on Daniel’s prophecy, is that trouble in the Temple and the immediately following Second Coming are connected. Jesus did nothing in his reply to undermine or correct this correct understanding of prophecy. A temple in which an Abomination of Desolation will stand where “he ought not to” (Mk. 13:14) is to be expected, based on Daniel, Jesus and Paul who spoke of the Man of Sin sitting in the Temple. When Paul means by “temple” the individual believer or the church body, he does not introduce them as “the temple,” but “a temple.” When in 2 Thess. 2:4 he speaks of “the temple” he is understood most naturally as speaking of a building.

[465]

Scripture states that some who are weak will need to be refined in the Great Tribulation in the future. Others will be permitted to escape and thus not go through the Great Tribulation. But such escape will certainly not be by a prior rapture/resurrection 7 or 3 1/2 years before the public arrival of Jesus.

[466]

This is Luke’s equivalent of “when you see the Abomination of Desolation standing where he ought not to” (Mk. 13:14). The days of vengeance which this event introduces are the days of the Great Tribulation of Matt. 24:21. 2 Thess. 2:8 speaks of the destruction of the final evil Man of Sin, the antichrist (cp. 1 John 2:18). Luke 17:26-31 connects the flood and the destruction of Sodom with end-time events. Zech. 12:3 in the LXX (not Hebrew) is key to the thinking of Jesus since he alludes to it in Luke 21:24 and Rev. 11:2, referring to the last half of Daniel’s final “week” (Dan. 9:24-27).

[467]

The flight here recalls the flight of Lot from Sodom and the flight of Dan. 12:1. The time of extreme trouble may be avoided by escape but certainly not by a so-called PRE-Tribulation rapture, of which the NT knows nothing. Jesus gathers his people “after the tribulation” (Mt. 24:29ff).

[468]

The equivalent exactly of the Great Tribulation of Matt 24:21 and Mark 13:19. The Dead Sea Scrolls also refer to the time of final tribulation, which is worse than any preceding time. Cp. Isa. 33:2: “Be our salvation, rescue in time of trouble.”

[469]

Under foreign control.

[470]

The times when a final oppression of Israel by the Gentiles will occur. This verse is highly significant. It is a quotation from the LXX of Zech. 12:3 which says that “all the nations will gather against Jerusalem and will mock the city and trample it under foot.” Jesus understands this to describe the final punishment of Israel, and in Rev. 11:2-3 he links it to the Abomination of Desolation of Dan. 9:26-27 where the prince who is to come will desecrate the city for the final 3 ½ years of the final period of 7 years. Thus Luke 21:24, Dan. 9:26-27 and Rev. 11:2-3 must be kept closely together as they interpret each other.

[471]

Salvation is very often an event of the future in the NT. Christians are now being saved and will be finally saved at the return of Jesus to the earth. “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 24:13).

[472]

This is one of many plain statements of Jesus showing that the Kingdom of God means primarily the new world order on a renewed earth when Jesus returns and appoints the saints to administer the world with him (Mt. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26; 5:10; 3:21; Dan. 7:14, 18, 22, 27, etc).

[473]

Paul refers to this as the present evil age (Gal. 1:4). Society is governed by Satan who is deceiving the whole world (Rev. 12:9).